


Fields of our own making

by weilongfu



Series: My Engineer Nymph!AU [1]
Category: My Engineer (TV), มีช็อป มีเกียร์ มีเมียรึยังวะ | My Engineer the Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Nymph!King, Nymphs and dryads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weilongfu/pseuds/weilongfu
Summary: Ram’s curiosity gets the better of him, wondering what’s so interesting in the groves and woods that makes someone come and go with such a big smile on his face. His curiosity is rewarded with meeting a beautiful nature spirit for himself.Inspired by the_birdie's 2gether Nymph!Tine ficof orchids and cherry blossoms
Relationships: Ram/King (My Engineer the Series)
Series: My Engineer Nymph!AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761553
Comments: 16
Kudos: 140





	Fields of our own making

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [of orchids and cherry blossoms](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438713) by [earthfluuke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthfluuke/pseuds/earthfluuke). 



> Huge thank you to the_birdie/gmmtvmother for letting me run amok in your beautiful universe for 3k words. I only hope my stumbling footsteps haven’t messed up the aesthetic.

Ram wouldn’t have ever said that he and Sarawat were close. In fact, Ram was more likely to say he wasn’t close to anyone. However, Ram found it fishy how Sarawat would come and go every day for his exploration of the wilds and every day there was a strange smile upon his face, besotted and far too pleased for a hard day of scouting. Curiosity got the better of him and on one of Sarawat’s scouting days, Ram secretly followed. 

Between one turn up a hill and into a grove and the next, Sarawat had disappeared and Ram was left to stumble. Ram rested against a tree to take a drink of water and suddenly found a face hanging down from the tree to look at him. In his surprise, Ram spat his water out.

The young man made a face, distorting fair and delicate features, before shaking his head to get the water out of dark strands of hair. Ram returned the disgusted look with an exasperated one. The young man blinked and tilted his head, still upside down. 

Silence was returned with silence. 

The young man slid down from his branch and started to circle Ram. Ram did nothing, and after the young man had looked at him from all sorts of angles, Ram took a good look at him. Not thin, but not bulky, dressed in thin and flowing clothes made of shimmering greens and browns. Graceful limbs and a pretty face, dark eyes that looked too innocent, and a smell of something wild, of nature and damp earth and growing things in bloom.

The young man rested his one hand on his hips and opened and closed his mouth several times. Ram only furrowed his brow. The young man rolled his eyes and then tried flapping his hands open and closed. Still, Ram maintained his passive stare.

The young man moved closer and tried to pry open Ram’s mouth, as if it was glued shut. Ram pushed him away, finally reaching the end of his patience, and whistled, high and sharp. The young man’s eyes lit up for a brief moment before widening in alarm at the sound of barking.

In a flash, he had climbed back up his tree as Ram’s dog ran up and continued barking. The young man made a face and waved at the dog timidly, as if to shoo it away. Ram stood up and dusted himself off and moved to walk away, but caught a glimpse of the young man’s distraught face and the shivers of his body.

Ram sighed and whistled again, his dog returned to his side faithfully, and Ram walked away. He did not catch the hurt and scared expression on the young man’s face. 

\------

The next day, Ram walked the same path he did the day before. The winds blew over his face none too gently, but it hardly made the climb difficult. What stood out the most was the atmosphere over the grove, far too still and quiet. To pierce the stillness, Ram began to whistle.

Immediately, the winds picked up, a flurry of petals, leaves, and branches flew every which way. At the center of it all stood the tree Ram had found the young man in yesterday. Ram endured the sudden gust as best he could, trying to catch a glimpse to see if the young man would need his help in the storm, but he never appeared.

Frowning, Ram fled for safety before something dangerous broke in the wind and came flying at him.

(Back in the village, Ram pointedly ignored the brooding stare he received from Sarawat as he picked branches and leaves out of his hair.)

\------

In the days that followed, Ram found himself the target of freak storms, showers of spikey chestnut cases, and the odd bramble bush catching on his trousers when there hadn’t been once when he last looked. 

All of it happened whenever he entered the grove.

He’d tried entering without his hunting gear. He’d tried wearing cloth instead of leather. He’d almost considered walking in naked before realizing he’d always done one other thing the last times he entered the grove.

Since the second time he entered, Ram had always whistled. 

But the reason for whistling causing such an adverse reaction to what should be a normal grove, sans the lone tree that never seemed to be bothered by such a freak storm, seemed bizarre. 

Suddenly it clicked. A lone tree, unbothered by wild winds? Bothersome plants that sprung up out of nowhere? The only answer lay within myth - a nature spirit, a nymph. Ram recalled the young man he’d “met” and wondered why it hadn’t made sense immediately before remembering he’d been too caught up in his annoyance to think.

The answer to the first question now only raised a second. Why would the nymph be so offended by Ram’s whistling? Ram had never learned any offensive or lewd songs to whistle, and it was unlikely that a nymph would have ever heard such uncouth music from humans. Ram sat on his porch and whistled, his dog running up immediately. Ram scratched him between the ears, watching the dog’s tongue loll out as he panted happily. His dog’s teeth glinted in the sunlight and Ram wanted to slap his forehead.

He’d scared the nymph with his dog and instead of soothing the poor thing after such a fright, he’d left. And of course, to the nymph, Ram’s dog had appeared out of nowhere at the sound of a whistle. So could all whistling summon such a terrifying beast? How could the nymph know otherwise?

Ram sighed and resolved to try something else the next time he could visit.

\------

Ram approached the grove quietly and no fuss was made. But the moment he stepped within the circle of trees, they all began to shiver. Ram took a deep breath and began to hum

It was a soft melody, one his mother had sung to Ram and his brother to send them to sleep. Ram remembered it like the back of his hand at this point and so the notes rose and fell easily. 

Slowly, the trees eased their shaking and the lone tree at the end rustled before a familiar head peeked out from the lower branches. Ram continued his approach while humming. The nymph did not run. When he was at last within arms reach of the tree, Ram held out his hand.

“Come down,” he said softly. 

The nymph’s eyes widened and a smile broke out on his face. Ram ignored the fluttering in his chest at the sight of the smile. The nymph reached out slowly, as if touching Ram wrong would trigger some sort of catastrophe. But before slim and delicate fingers could make contact with Ram’s, the young man stopped and his ears twitched. On the gentle wind, the faint strains of a melody could be heard. The sound of a guitar. Ram knew that voice, it was Sarawat’s, and he was singing the same lullaby that Ram had just hummed. 

Ram chanced a glance at the young man’s face but found his eyes had turned confused and mistrusting. Ram reached out to grab him quickly, but the young nymph was already running. Ram chased him from tree to tree, but once the grove faded into the woods, Ram lost him.

(That night, Sarawat found himself the target of Ram’s dark looks, but he was unbothered. The halo of his good mood could not be pierced by Ram.)

\------

The next day Ram tried to hum another song he knew, one he had heard during festivals with people dancing in the village square. Although no winds started and nothing seemed to fly at him, Ram could not find the nymph.

The day after that, he tried another song, one played to a story a bard had recited in the tavern. Still, the nymph refused to be seen.

Ram started to wrack his brain for memories of any song that Sarawat could not possibly know, for if this was the problem, there would be very few solutions. Sarawat was the one who was more musically inclined and so if Sarawat was serenading someone out in the fields and groves where the nymph could hear him, it was unlikely that any song Ram heard around the village would coax the nymph out of his tree. Especially if the requirement was, for some reason, a song the nymph had never heard.

The only answer Ram could find was to write a song himself. 

Ram went out into the fields and listened to the farmers sing their harvest song. He listened to the fishermen chant as they hauled nets. He listened to the rhythmic chatter of basket weavers and storytellers. He listened to the percussion of rain on roofs, the babble of brooks, and the whistle of the wind.

For weeks, Ram worked on his song, and at last he decided to try it.

Once more, the grove was silent and the trees were still. Ram was allowed to go right up to the nymph’s tree, but nothing came forward to meet him. Ram started his song, soft and low, feeling self-conscious. The more he hummed, the louder he got. As he got more confident, Ram chanced to even sing a word or two. 

Lost in the song, Ram didn’t notice the faint rustle of leaves or the nymph’s curious gaze. He did, however, notice the gentle poke to his cheek. 

Ram slowly turned to his side to see the nymph’s curious face. Once more his cheek was poked, but Ram kept his face still. The nymph then poked the other cheek. Ram rolled his eyes.

“Is there a reason why you keep poking my face?”

The nymph’s eyes lit up and his mouth opened in wonder. Smiling widely, he started poking Ram’s arms and chest, the back of his neck, and even his stomach. Ram allowed it for a moment before catching the nymph’s hand. The skin was smooth and soft and Ram almost felt bad for the roughness of his own hands.

“That was not an invitation to poke me everywhere.”

The nymph blinked before withdrawing his hand from Ram’s and poking both his cheeks at the same time. Apparently he found what he wanted and the nymph’s smile grew. But when he removed his fingers holding up Ram’s cheeks to clap, Ram’s face relaxed and the nymph pouted. 

“What are you trying to do?”

The nymph picked up a stick and drew something in the dirt and pointed at it. It was a rough approximation of a circle as a face with dots for eyes and a curved smile. The nymph pointed at the drawing and poked Ram’s cheeks again.

“No.”

The nymph blinked and pulled back, tapping his chin in thought before making a silly face. Ram only raised his eyebrow. The nymph tried juggling peaches and apples, dancing, leaping into a tumble, but all it served to do was increase Ram’s confused stare. Pouting, the nymph sat down to consider what to do next. The expression of deep thinking was the final straw and Ram couldn’t hold it back any further. 

He laughed.

The nymph jumped up in glee, clapping as Ram clutched his side from laughing. However, hearing the applause, Ram stopped and frowned. 

“Are you trying to make fun of my laughing?” The nymph pouted and shook his head. “You wanted me to laugh?” A vigorous nod. Ram thought about the drawing in the dirt. “You wanted me to smile.” Another vigorous nod. Ram thought about it again. “You’ve seen Sarawat. Whoever he’s meeting around here, he smiles a lot and so you think all humans smile all the time.” More vigorous nodding and a bright smile.

”Not everyone smiles all the time. Some of us don’t want to.” The nymph pouted and widened his eyes. “Hey… no… don’t you try-” The nymph’s bottom lip started to wobble and a glimmer of an unshed tear welled in the nymph’s eyes. Ram sighed and put a small smile on his face. “There. Happy?” 

The nymph clapped happily and Ram found it wasn’t so hard to keep the smile on his face anymore.

\------

Despite how well the previous day went, Ram could not foresee the dangerous precedent he had set. 

Upon entering the grove, Ram found himself being tugged along by the nymph, now wearing a flower crown made of woven golden flowers. Ram dug in his heels to resist, but it was difficult if only for the way the sunlight made the nymph’s skin glow and the alluring smell of flowers. 

“What are you trying to do?” Ram asked. 

The reply was an eager smile and another tug on his arm.

“But I don’t want to go if I don’t know where we’re going.”

The smile faded a little and Ram was given another tug.

“No.”

The nymph pouted and the guilt tugged at Ram’s heart.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll go.” Ram sighed as the nymph clapped. “But… What can I call you? I can’t keep calling you nymph or hey you.”

The nymph thought about it for a moment before he took his flower crown off and put it back on in a particular fashion.

“Crown?” The nymph shook his head. “King?” A happy smile and nod. “Okay, King. Your name is King.” Ram pointed at himself. “Ram.” King leaned in to observe Ram’s mouth and Ram felt his ears burn just a bit. If King leaned in any closer, Ram could kiss his forehead. “Ram,” Ram said slowly, allowing King to see the movement of his lips. 

King mimicked the movement and then clapped again before pulling on Ram’s arm. With no choice left, Ram followed.

King took Ram to many places after that. Over many days, they saw beautiful cliffs with colorful birds, verdant forests that hid trees laden with fruit, blooming fields with sweet flowers, and clear streams with leaping fish. Ram knew he should have taken notes, should have memorized the paths and ways, but the only thing he could do was watch King’s smile of delight.

And Ram knew then that there was no going back. He’d fallen for this beautiful nymph. 

(But based on the nervous smile and the vibrant red flower King had tucked behind Ram’s ear, Ram had an inkling that perhaps King might feel the same.)

\------

“Where have you been?” Ram stood over King who had been resting at the base of his tree. After an entire day of searching, Ram had circled back to the grove only to find his nymph sitting there as if nothing had happened, rushing to hide something behind his back. “I searched everywhere for you.”

King pouted.

“No, you don’t get to try that with me.” Ram knelt down. “I was very worried.” He reached out slowly. King didn’t move, but his eyes widened in fright for just a moment until Ram ran his fingers through King’s hair and pet his head. King seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and leaned into Ram’s hand. “I was very very worried. Couldn’t you have left me a sign that you were going away for the day?”

King bit his lip and shook his head.

“You didn’t want me to know?”

A nod.

“So… was it a surprise?”

Another nod. 

“Did I ruin it?”

King nudged Ram until he turned around. A few minutes later, King made Ram hold his hands up to cover his eyes. Then came the gentle press and warmth of King’s body against his back, the feeling of a leather cord against the skin of his neck, and then King pulled away before tapping on Ram’s hands. 

Ram traced the cord with his fingers, it was smooth and supple before coming down to the weight hanging from it. A beautiful point of amethyst, clear but with a lovely deep purple color had been wrapped up securely. King nudged Ram, his expression hopeful.

“For me?” King nodded. “You went out to get this for me?” Another nod before a tug on Ram’s sleeve. “Thank you.” Ram pet King’s head again. “I like it.” King looked up at Ram’s hand before reaching out and petting Ram’s head. “Do nymphs not do this?” King shook his head. “What do nymphs do?”

King smiled before he tackled Ram to the ground.

“Ow.”

But any pain Ram felt was immediately forgotten when King pressed his soft lips against Ram’s.

\------

A new precedent set, Ram and King greeted each other with a kiss every time they met. And it was so easy to forget that Ram had other goals for the day immediately after. More than once, one kiss had turned into two into ten. Before long, half the day was gone, spent kissing in the shade of King’s tree. Ram was certain it was now impossible to forget the feel of King’s lips, his body above or below him as Ram’s hands traced paths both old and new. 

Other times, King had plans of his own and Ram followed, lured by gentle hands and a bright smile. But more often than not, it was simply a change of scenery before Ram was tackled into soft dirt. 

Today, King led Ram into the vast flower fields again, the air heavy with their scent. Ram took notes as King picked various flowers. Every so often King would turn to see Ram staring and then wave him off to encourage him to not look. Ram only rolled his eyes which encouraged King to pout which led to Ram turning away anyway.

When King seemed to be satisfied, he returned to Ram’s side, a wreath of flowers in his hands, before trying to place it on Ram’s head. 

“For me?” Ram asked as he leaned forward to accept. King nodded and clapped as he found his preferred position of the crown on Ram’s head. “Thank you.”

“I wouldn’t have expected to see you here.” Ram and King turned to see Sarawat with another young man, dressed similarly to King and just as beautiful. King jumped up and the young man with Sarawat embraced him before spinning each other and jumping up and down. “And… it seems you’ve also got one for yourself.”

“One what,” Ram said cautiously as King and the other man gestured wildly between themselves.

“A nymph.” Sarawat sat down and nudged the crown on King’s head. “And it seems pretty serious between you two.”

“What do you mean?” Ram asked as he fixed the crown back into the position King had decided upon.

“He gave you a flower crown.”

“Yes.”

“That means something for nymphs.”

“What?”

Sarawat coughed and his ears turned just a bit pink. “Tine,” Sarawat pointed to the nymph that had come with him, “Tine tells me… it means you’re married.”

“What?!” King and Tine stopped their dance and came running back. “We’re… We’re…” King rested a gentle hand on Ram’s shoulder and looked at him with concern. “I’m not upset, of course I’m not upset.” Ram cupped King’s cheek. “A little bit of warning would have been nice.” King smiled. “So… what do I… How do I respond?”

“You make one for him,” Sarawat said simply. “As long as it’s made by you, he’ll know it means you accept.” King and Tine both nodded rapidly. 

“How do I…”

Sarawat reached out and Tine took his hand easily. “Can you help him?” Tine smiled before pulling on Ram’s arm. “Go with him. He’ll help you out.”

King waved as Tine dragged Ram into the fields, pointing at flowers he wanted Ram to pick. Meanwhile, Sarawat strummed a simple tune on his guitar while allowing King to prod it in his curiosity. 

Before long, Tine and Ram returned. The crown wasn’t near as even as King’s, but Tine had helped him pick out complementary flowers and the entire thing held together well enough. King wore it proudly before tackling Ram into the field.

“You’ll get used to that eventually,” Sarawat said as Tine took away his guitar to take its place in Sarawat’s lap before starting to strum the guitar. 

“Do you develop more muscle or just a perpetual bruise,” Ram called out amidst the waving flowers and King’s body curling up on his chest.

“Both. Suck it up.”


End file.
